100% VA Disability Benefits in Louisiana: Property Tax, Tuition, Plates

If you hold a 100% service-connected disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and live in Louisiana, the state adds a substantial package on top of your federal compensation: a full property tax exemption on your home, no state income tax on military retirement or VA pay, a free lifetime disabled veteran license plate, free hunting and fishing licenses, free state park entry, free or reduced-cost residency in a state veterans home, tuition waivers for your children at public colleges, and hiring and contracting preferences. Louisiana treats veterans rated at Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU) the same as those with a 100% schedular rating for state benefits.¹

Full Property Tax Exemption on Your Home

The largest state benefit is a complete exemption from ad valorem property taxes on your primary residence. At a 100% rating, TDIU, or total disability, the entire assessed value of the home is exempt. Certain municipal assessments can still apply.² This sits on top of the $7,500 homestead exemption available to every Louisiana homeowner.³

The exemption is statewide. It used to depend on whether your parish had voted it in, but Constitutional Amendment No. 2 (Acts 2022, No. 172), approved by voters on November 8, 2022, replaced the parish-by-parish system with a uniform rule that took effect January 1, 2023.⁴⁵

You have to claim it. Get an updated Form A25 from a Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs parish service office, then file for the exemption with your local parish assessor.⁶

You may also qualify for the Special Assessment Level, which freezes the assessed value of the property so it cannot rise over time. The freeze locks the assessment, not the tax bill, so if local millage rates go up, the bill can still move.³

State Income Tax Treatment

Louisiana does not tax military retirement pay.² VA disability compensation and pension payments are not included in state taxable income either, and military disability retirement pay received as a pension or similar allowance for personal injury or sickness from active service is excluded.³

Free Lifetime Disabled Veteran License Plate

Louisiana residents with a 100% service-connected rating qualify for a free lifetime Disabled American Veteran (DAV) license plate. It is available for private passenger vehicles, trucks up to 16,000 pounds, motorcycles, and motor homes.⁷

The DAV plate carries the same parking privileges as a mobility-impaired plate, and holders can also request a permanent handicap placard at no cost. Transferring the plate to another vehicle in your name is $3. Only one DAV plate is issued per person, and you cannot hold both a DAV plate and an ex-prisoner of war plate.⁸

To apply, submit the vehicle’s registration certificate and an affidavit (LDVA-17) signed by a Veterans Affairs service officer, either in person at the Vehicle Registration Bureau in Baton Rouge or by mail.⁸

One boundary worth knowing: the veteran vehicle benefits do not cover state sales tax on a vehicle purchase. Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:463 exempts certain veterans from motor vehicle registration and license taxes, but sales tax still applies.⁹ If you are moving into Louisiana from another state, expect a flat $90 vehicle use tax to register a previously titled vehicle, due within 90 days.²

Free Hunting, Fishing, and State Park Access

A 100% rating qualifies you for the free Disabled Veterans Hunting and Fishing License, which Louisiana issues to any veteran with a permanent service-connected rating of 50% or more. It covers basic and saltwater fishing, basic hunting, deer, waterfowl, and turkey hunting, and a Wildlife Management Area access permit. The federal duck stamp and a WMA camping permit are not included.¹⁰

Apply in person at LDWF headquarters in Baton Rouge, by email, or by mail, with a copy of your driver’s license or state ID and VA proof of disability. Processing takes about three weeks.¹¹

Disabled veterans with a state park permit, obtained through a parish veterans service office, enter any Louisiana state park free, and anyone riding with them in a single private vehicle enters free as well.¹²¹³

State Veterans Homes

Louisiana runs five state veterans homes, in Jackson, Monroe, Bossier City, Reserve, and Jennings. A service-connected rating of 70% or higher, which includes 100%, can qualify you for free residency; veterans with any level of service-connected diagnosis may also qualify for free residency.¹⁴

If you do not meet the free-residency criteria, the monthly fee is $2,424, set by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and potentially offset by federal aid and attendance pension. Spouses of veterans and Gold Star parents pay $5,500 per month, against general private nursing home rates of $6,000 to $7,000 or more. Veterans rated 50% or higher also get their medications at no cost while residing in a state veterans home.¹⁴

Louisiana also operates five state veterans cemeteries, in Leesville, Rayville, Keithville, Slidell, and Jennings, where eligible veterans are buried at no cost and perpetual grounds care is included.¹⁵

Tuition Waiver for Your Children

Under Louisiana Revised Statutes § 29:288, children of veterans rated 90% to 100% service-connected (or deemed unemployable) can attend any Louisiana public postsecondary institution without paying tuition or school-imposed fees. That includes matriculation, registration, laboratory, athletic, and medical fees. The child must be between 16 and 25, and you must have been a Louisiana resident for at least 12 months before the child’s admission.¹⁶

Surviving spouses are eligible too if the veteran died in service, died from a service-connected disability during a wartime period, or was declared missing in action or a prisoner of war. A surviving spouse must use the benefit within 10 years of becoming eligible.³

Employment and Business Benefits

Honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected rating get a 10-point preference added to their final passing score on Louisiana state civil service examinations. The unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran with a service-connected total and permanent disability gets the same 10 points.¹⁷

At American Job Centers, veterans receive priority of service. Disabled veterans are prioritized for intensive services through the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP), and veterans with significant barriers to employment are fast-tracked. When workforce program training funds run short, veterans go first.¹⁸

If you own a business, two programs are worth separating. The Louisiana Veterans First Business Initiative is a free certification that gets your company listed in a searchable database and provides marketing materials, but it does not create a contracting preference.¹⁹ For actual procurement advantages, apply to the Louisiana Veteran Initiative (LAVETBIZ). Certified veteran-owned and service-connected disabled-veteran-owned small businesses receive an additional 12% of total evaluation points on state Requests for Proposals, and on small purchases under $25,000 agencies may waive additional quotes if a certified company gives a reasonable bid. To qualify, the business must be at least 51% veteran-owned, based in Louisiana, have fewer than 50 full-time employees, and stay under revenue thresholds of $6 million (non-construction) or $10 million (construction).²⁰

What a Surviving Spouse Keeps

If you die, several of these benefits carry to your unremarried surviving spouse. The full property tax exemption continues as long as the spouse owns and occupies the home, and it applies even if the exemption was not in effect before your death.⁵ A surviving spouse also keeps the 10-point civil service preference,³ workforce priority of service, access to the Veterans First Business Initiative (if receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation), and the dependent tuition waiver under the conditions described above.

Getting Help With Your Claim in Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs operates 74 service offices around the state, staffed by Veterans Assistance Counselors who are veterans themselves and are federally accredited by the VA. They file disability compensation and pension claims with the federal VA on your behalf at no charge, and the department’s appeals paralegals can represent you before the Board of Veterans Appeals.²¹ A directory of parish offices is at vetaffairs.la.gov/locations.²²

For federal-level help gathering medical records and DD214 forms, the New Orleans VA Regional Benefit Office at 2400 Canal Street is open Tuesday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.²³

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Hill and Ponton. Louisiana State Benefits
2
Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. State Benefits
3
MyArmyBenefits. Louisiana State and Territory Benefits
4
Ascension Parish Assessor. Veteran Exemption
5
Louisiana House of Representatives. 2022 Constitutional Amendment Summaries
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Livingston Parish Assessor. Veterans
7
Louisiana DPSC. Office of Motor Vehicles Policy 160.00 – Disabled Veteran Plates
8
Justia – Louisiana Administrative Code. Section III-313 – Disabled Veterans Plates
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Louisiana Department of Revenue. Do Veterans Pay Sales Tax on Vehicles in Louisiana
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Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Disabled Veterans Hunting and Fishing License
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Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Disabled Veteran License Application
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Louisiana State Parks. Special Rates and Discounts
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Louisiana State Parks. Louisiana State Parks Frequently Asked Questions
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Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Homes
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Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Cemeteries
16
Justia – Louisiana Revised Statutes. RS 29:288
17
MyAirForceBenefits. Louisiana State and Territory Benefits
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Louisiana Workforce Commission. WIOA Appendix 2
19
Louisiana Economic Development. Louisiana Veterans First Business Initiative
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Louisiana Economic Development. Veteran Initiative
21
Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. Benefits
22
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23
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. New Orleans VA Regional Benefit Office